The Academic Program

The College's emphasis on the liberal arts and sciences is justified
both in sound educational principle and by the test of long experience.
The broad knowledge achieved in a liberal education gives women and men
a realistic understanding of the complexity of their world and prepares
them for lives satisfying to themselves and useful to others.

The Liberal Arts and Sciences

Liberal learning is fundamentally concerned with personal growth in its
intellectual and moral dimensions. Educated persons welcome the hard academic
work that is the price of discovery; they are stimulated by ideas, artistic
expression, good talk, and great books; and they avow a continuing commitment
to the search for truth in the methods of the sciences, the patterns of
logic and language, and the beauties of art. The first obligation of a
student is to cultivate her or his own habits of mind; the first duty
of a liberal arts college is to develop, encourage, and direct that process.

With intellectual development should come a deepening moral awareness.
A college woman or man should have the ability to lead as well as a willingness
to cooperate. Comprehension of life's complexities should lead to
a sympathetic understanding of others and a generosity in response to
them. The student should develop a sense of social and civic responsibility,
and integrity should guide every action.

Bates College has always held to these traditional values of the liberal
arts and sciences. In a report to the Bates faculty, its Committee on
Educational Policy offered a reaffirmation. The committee wrote: "The
highest purpose of Bates College is to provide a community with sufficient
challenge and sufficient support so that the undergraduate may mature
in scholarship and in capacity for critical thinking and civilized expression.
The graduate is more knowledgeable, to be sure, but above all he or she
is capable of a reflective understanding of the self and its relationship
to prior traditions and present environments."

The curriculum establishes the expectations for learning that form the
foundation of the College's commitment to the liberal arts and sciences.
College committees of faculty members and students review the educational
policies and the specific curricular offerings of the College. New fields
of scholarship are introduced by the faculty, and the most recent advances
in technology are incorporated into the various disciplines. The College
promotes the development of excellent writing and critical-thinking skills
through all its curricular offerings, from the first-year seminar to the
senior thesis. The College encourages students to pursue their own original
research as an extension of their regular course work and offers opportunities
and financial support to facilitate such research during the academic
year and the summer months. Recognizing the fundamental role the liberal
arts play in the development of a social conscience and good citizenship,
the College encourages students to integrate social service into their
academic work and provides opportunities for service-learning and community-based
research. The five-week Short Term held every spring encourages educational
innovation, including the integration into the curriculum of off-campus
study. The calendar arrangement also provides a three-year option whereby
students who are qualified, especially those with advanced standing, can
accelerate their work and graduate earlier.

The Academic Calendar

The calendar calls for two semesters and a Short Term. The first semester
ends in mid-December and the second ends in mid-April. A five-week Short
Term usually concludes at the end of May. First-year and all other new
students must be present for their matriculation at new-student orientation
at the beginning of September. Although new students register prior to
their arrival, they may adjust their registrations during the orientation
period. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors register during periods established
near the end of each prior semester.

Short Term. The Short Term provides an unusual opportunity for a variety
of educational programs, frequently off campus, that cannot be offered
in the regular semesters. These include marine biological studies at stations
on the coast of Maine; geology fieldwork in the American Southwest and
Hawaii; and art, theater, and music studies in New York City. The spring
term allows time for archeological investigations by students in history
and anthropology; field projects for students in economics, environmental
studies, sociology, and psychology; and social-service internships associated
with academic departments and programs. It provides special opportunities,
on and off campus, for those conducting laboratory experiments in the
natural sciences. The term also allows for faculty-directed study in foreign
countries. Recent off-campus Short Term units have focused on Shakespearean
drama and Renaissance culture in England; landscape painting and art history
in Italy; anthropology in Bali, Greece, and Jamaica; environmental conservation
in Ecuador, including its Galápagos Islands, and in Costa Rica;
marine biology and geology in the Canadian Arctic; art, economics, and
environmental studies in China; history in Cuba; medieval pilgrimage routes
through France and Spain; and the production of plays at a professional
English-language theater in Hungary.

A student must be enrolled at
Bates in either the preceding fall or winter semester in order to enroll
in a Short Term unit in that academic year. Students may
complete a maximum of three Short Term units, although only two are needed
to fulfill the degree requirement. Students wishing to register for a
third Short Term unit receive a lower registration priority than students
registering for their first or second unit. An exception to this ranking
is made for students participating in the three-year program (see below),
who are required to complete three Short Term units. The ranking does
not apply to units requiring permission of the instructor to register.

Three-Year Program Option. The three-year option is designed for the especially
qualified student who may benefit from an accelerated undergraduate program
that allows for earlier admission to graduate school or for career placement.
The accelerating student takes five courses each semester and attends
every Short Term, completing the degree requirement of thirty courses,
sixty quality points, and three Short Term units. Students must apply
for entry into the three-year program through the Office of the Dean of
Students early in their Bates career.

Academic Advising

Each Bates student has one or more academic advisors during the college
years who provide advice in planning a curriculum to meet the student's
particular needs. New students are assigned academic advisors from among
members of the faculty. The advisor holds individual conferences with
a student during his or her first week on campus and continues to counsel
the student until he or she declares a major. The major department or
program assumes the advising responsibility upon the request of the student-no
later than the end of the second year. The student and the advisor meet
during registration periods and on an informal basis whenever the student
seeks advice about the curriculum, course selection, the major program,
the thesis, progress toward the degree, graduate school, or other academic
concerns. While faculty members provide academic advice, final responsibility
for course selection and the completion of degree requirements rests with
the student. The registrar provides the student and advisor with an evaluation
of the student's progress toward the degree at the end of the junior
year. The deans of students can also provide advice on academic matters.

In addition to the academic advisor, faculty committees and the Office
of Career Services can provide guidance on graduate and professional schools.
The Committee on Graduate Study provides general information and supervises
the selection process for various graduate fellowships and grants. Students
planning professional careers in medical fields are aided by the Committee
on Medical Studies. Students interested in graduate or professional schools
are encouraged to contact these committees and the Office of Career Services'
counseling staff early in their college careers so that a curriculum and
a series of related internships and work experiences can be planned to
meet their professional goals.

The First-Year Seminar Program

The first-year seminars are limited-enrollment courses specifically designed
for first-year students. Topics vary from year to year, but they always
represent a broad range of issues and questions addressed within the tradition
of the liberal arts and sciences. The first-year seminars enable entering
students to work with faculty and other students in the context of a small
class; they provide closely supervised training in techniques of reasoning,
writing, and research; and they foster an attitude of active participation
in the educational process. First-year seminars carry full course credit
toward the baccalaureate degree and are offered in the fall and winter
semesters. A first-year seminar may be designated as fulfilling General
Education requirements. First-year students are encouraged to consult
the listing of first-year seminars in the description of courses and units
of instruction in this Catalog.

General Education

Throughout the College's history, its faculty has expected all students
to pursue certain common patterns of study as well as complete a major
or concentrated focus of study. The faculty continues to believe that
there are areas of knowledge and understanding, modes of appreciation,
and kinds of skills that are of general and lasting significance to the
life of the mind.

In establishing these General Education requirements, the faculty reflects
its conviction that a Bates graduate should have a critical appreciation
of scientific and social-scientific knowledge and understanding. It believes
that experience with theories and methods of at least one science and
at least one social science leads to awareness of both the importance
of such knowledge in the modern world and its limitations. In addition,
the faculty is convinced that the graduating student should have an appreciation
for the manner in which quantitative techniques can increase one's
capacity to describe and analyze the natural and social worlds.

The faculty also believes that the graduating student should understand
both the possibilities and the limitations of disciplined study in the
humanities and history. Such study permits a critical perspective on the
ideas, values, expressions, and experiences that constitute our culture.
General Education also encourages respect for the integrity of thought,
judgment, creativity, and tradition beyond the culture of contemporary
America. In addition, the faculty encourages each student to do some study
in a foreign language.

Major Fields of Study

While the faculty believes that each student should have essential familiarity
with the main fields of liberal learning-the humanities, the social sciences,
and the natural sciences-it also believes that a student must choose a
field of special concentration-a major-to gain the advantages that come
from studying one academic subject more extensively and intensively. This
major field occupies a quarter to a third of the student's college
work and may be related to the intended career following graduation.

Students may declare one or two majors. The double major requires completion
of all major requirements, including the comprehensive examination and/or
the thesis, in two academic departments or programs.

Individual Interdisciplinary Majors. In addition to established departmental
and program majors, a student may propose an individual interdisciplinary
major, should that student discover a well-defined intellectual interest
that crosses one or more boundaries of the established fields of concentration.
An interdisciplinary major involves a detailed program of study with courses
drawn from at least two departments or programs but only one senior thesis
and/or comprehensive examination.

Detailed guidelines and an application for the individual interdisciplinary
major are available from the registrar. Proposals for interdisciplinary
majors must be submitted to the registrar for approval by the Committee
on Curriculum and Calendar in the sophomore year or early in the junior
year. Proposals must include a faculty advisory board of at least three
faculty members who have agreed collectively to act as major advisor and
thesis advisor (unless the student's program includes a comprehensive
examination instead of a thesis) and a list of appropriate courses and/or
units to be included in the major. The student with an individual interdisciplinary
major graduates with a degree in interdisciplinary studies.

Engineering Major. Students interested in aerospace, biomedical, chemical,
civil, electrical, environmental, mechanical, mineral, or nuclear engineering
may participate in the College's Liberal Arts-Engineering Dual Degree
Program, in which three years at Bates are typically followed by two years
at an affiliated engineering school. Recommended course
sequences vary according to each student's particular engineering
interests; curricular guidelines are available from the Dual Degree Program
faculty advisor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy or the program's
Web page (www.bates.edu/physics-astronomy/academics/engineering/)

Students participating in the Dual Degree Program graduate from Bates
with a degree in engineering.

The Senior Thesis

One of the most important components of the Bates curriculum is the senior
thesis, which is offered in all departments and programs and required
by most. The faculty believes that a Bates senior is well-educated and
well-prepared to undertake a significant research, service, performance,
or studio project in the final year of study in the major. More than 85
percent of each graduating class completes a senior thesis. The traditional
senior thesis involves one or two semesters of original research and writing,
culminating in a substantial paper on a research topic of the student's
design. Such an effort requires that the student possess an excellent
understanding of the subject area, its theoretical underpinnings, and
its research methodology. The student must also be able to think critically
and comprehensively about the topic, and must be able to advance a well-formulated
argument. Conducting a senior thesis draws on a student's past academic
experience and requires considerable independent thinking and creativity,
self-discipline, and effective time management.

The student is guided in this process by the thesis advisor. Many departments
and programs bring thesis students together in seminar courses or colloquia
in which they meet regularly to discuss current literature, research methodologies,
and their own progress. Several departments and programs require students
to deliver formal presentations of their thesis work.

Some departments and programs offer or require thesis work that includes
theatrical or musical performance, video production, curriculum development,
service-learning, or studio art work and exhibition. Qualified students
may occasionally undertake a joint thesis in which two students collaborate
on one project.

In some departments a senior may culminate his or her career at Bates
with an alternative project. Portfolios or comprehensive examinations
are available as thesis alternatives in several major fields. Specific
information on the work required of seniors in the major fields is detailed
in the introductory paragraphs to the courses and units of instruction
for each department and program in the Catalog.

The Honors Program

The College's Honors Program provides qualified students an opportunity
to conduct more-extensive independent study and research. Honors are awarded
for special distinction in the major fields. Honors study usually proceeds
throughout the senior year under the guidance of a faculty advisor. Students
normally enter the program at the end of the junior year. Students who
wish to be nominated to the Honors Program apply to the chairs of their
major departments or programs.

The Honors Program consists of the writing of a substantial thesis and
an oral examination on the thesis and the major field. Some departments
require a written comprehensive examination as well. In an alternative
offered by other departments, eligible students elect a program consisting
of a performance or a project in the creative arts and a written statement
on the project, a written comprehensive examination, or an oral examination
on the project and on courses in the major. The oral-examination committee
includes the thesis advisor, members of the major department or program,
at least one faculty member from a different major department or program,
and an examiner from another college or university who specializes in
the field of study. Honors theses become a part of the archives of the
College, held in the Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections
Library. Theses are cataloged in Ladd Library and are available on reserve
for use by patrons.

Independent Study

Independent study courses or units allow students to pursue individually
a course of study or research not offered in the Bates curriculum. This
may be pursued as a course during the semester (courses designated 360)
or a unit during the Short Term (s50). The student designs and plans the
independent study in consultation with a faculty member. The work must
be approved by a Bates department or program, supervised by a Bates faculty
member who is responsible for evaluation of the work and submission of
a grade, and completed during the semester or Short Term for which the
student has registered for the course or unit. Faculty members advise
independent studies voluntarily; they may refuse a request to advise an
independent study course or unit.

Independent study course work is undertaken during the academic year,
and it may reflect upon summer activities. Credit, however, is awarded
for work done during the academic year and the student must register for
a fall independent study during the spring before the activity takes place
when a summer learning experience is a substantial component of the independent
study. The student must be in residence and may not complete an independent
study away from campus unless participating in a Bates Fall Semester Abroad
program. Students may not receive both transfer credit and independent
study credit for the same summer activity. Students may not receive credit
for employment unless there is a clearly defined academic component to
the work. Academic credit is not granted for work completed under Bates
summer research grant programs. Students may register for no more than
one independent study course during any given semester. A student may
complete a total of only one Short Term independent study unit. For more
information, students may consult the Independent Study Registration Form,
available from the registrar.

Learning Associates

Central to the strength of a Bates education are the intense and deep
relationships formed between faculty and students, and the quality of
learning that results from sustained contact between teacher and learner.
To complement the focus and depth of intellectual exploration among students
and faculty, the College engages "learning associates," experts
in many fields who hail from around Maine and around the world. Learning
associates help students and faculty by bringing new meanings and perspectives
to a subject. Learning associates may be on campus for a day, a week,
a semester, or a year, or may have a "virtual residence,"
working with students via electronic mail, critiquing research methodology
or results, or reading emerging senior theses. These experts expand the
knowledge base available to students and faculty, challenge the neatness
of discipline-based academic thinking, and provide rich contexts for translating
ideas into action in the real world. Each year a variety of learning associates
work with students in a range of disciplines. Recent learning associates
have included an attorney who co-taught a course with a classicist on
the challenges facing democracies in crisis in ancient Greece and contemporary
America; an expert in writing in Spanish as a second language who worked
with senior thesis writers in Spanish; a renowned muralist who directed
students in the creation of a mural in Hathorn Hall; and two Indonesian
gamelan masters who helped students and faculty better understand this
unique instrumental ensemble.

Requirements for the Baccalaureate Degree

The Course and Unit Credit System. A student's progress toward the
baccalaureate degree is measured by course credits and unit credits. All
courses offered in the fall and winter semesters carry one course credit;
all curricular offerings in the Short Term are accorded one unit credit.
Each candidate for the baccalaureate degree must complete thirty-two course
credits and two Short Term units, except students who participate in the
three-year degree program. Three-year students must complete thirty course
credits and three Short Term units.

Grades. The faculty of the College assesses student academic performance
by assigning the following grades: A, B, C, D, and plus and minus for
each; P; and F. Quality-point equivalencies for these grades are described
below. The grade ON indicates that a course requires two semesters of
work to receive one credit; a final grade is determined at the end of
the second semester. A temporary grade of DEF indicates that a student
has secured, through a faculty member and a dean of students, a formal
deferral for incomplete course work. Incomplete work for which deferred
grades are given must be completed in a specific period of time as determined
on the deferral form. The deferred grade becomes an F# grade if the work
is not completed on time or when a faculty member does not submit a grade.
The F# grade is administrative and is computed in the GPA as zero quality
points. The final grade, if previously deferred, includes an asterisk
(*) when posted on the transcript. In
cases in which the due date for course work is extended beyond the end
of the semester as part of a pre-approved accommodation for a documented
disability, the final grade is not differentiated on the transcript from
the grades for courses completed in the normal time frame.
A grade of W indicates that a student withdrew from the course or unit
after the official drop date. The deans of students or the Committee on
Academic Standing may grant such withdrawals. Short Term unit grades are
not calculated in the grade point average and carry no quality points.
They appear on the transcript with a notation indicating this practice.
Faculty members may choose to use Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U)
grades to assess the work of all of their students in any given Short
Term unit.

Repeating Courses. Students may repeat a course only if they have received
a grade of F for the course or have withdrawn and received a grade of
W. The F grade remains in the student's grade point average, however,
even if the course is repeated.

Pass/Fail Option. Students may elect to take a total of two Bates courses
(but not Short Term units) on a pass/fail basis, with a maximum of one
per semester. The following conditions apply:

Students may declare or change a pass/fail option until the final day
to add a course.

Students taking a course pass/fail are not identified as such on class
rosters. Faculty members submit a regular letter grade (A, B, C, D, F)
to the registrar, who converts the letter grade to a pass or a fail. A
grade of D-minus or above is considered a passing grade. Unless the student
chooses to inform the instructor, only the student, the student's
advisor, and the registrar know the grading mode for the course.

Departments and programs decide whether courses taken pass/fail can
be used to satisfy major and secondary concentration requirements. This
information appears in the paragraphs introducing the courses and units
of instruction for each department and program in this Catalog.

Courses taken pass/fail are not computed in the student's grade
point average, and do not count toward General Education requirements.
A pass is equivalent to two quality points.

Grade Reports. At the end of each semester and Short
Term, grade reports are available for viewing on the Bates Garnet Gateway,
the secure online records system (www.bates.edu/registrar).
Paper copies of grade reports may be sent to students upon request to
the registrar. Faculty policies governing academic standing are outlined
on page 26.

Course Evaluations. At the end of each semester students are required
to complete an evaluation of each course taken. Students have a limited
amount of time in which to complete a Web-based course evaluation, available
on the Garnet Gateway. Students' grade reports are not released
if this requirement has not been fulfilled.

Dean's List. Based on semester grade point averages, at the conclusion
of each semester approximately the top 25 percent of students are named
to the Dean's List. To be eligible, students must have completed
all course work by the end of the semester and received letter grades
in at least three Bates courses. At the start of each academic year, an
appropriate GPA threshold is determined for placing students on the Dean's
List for the ensuing year. This GPA level is computed as the minimum of
the top 25 percent of the semester GPAs of all full-time students during
the preceding three years. In
2005-2006 a student must earn a GPA of 3.65 or higher to be named to the
Dean's List.

Degree Requirements. Students may pursue courses leading to the degree
of either bachelor of arts or bachelor of science. When determining graduation
eligibility, students are held to the curriculum and degree requirements
listed in the Catalog for the year in which they matriculated at Bates.
If officially withdrawn and readmitted,
students are held to the curriculum and degree requirements listed in
the Catalog in the year in which they are readmitted, or as determined
by the Committee on Academic Standing upon readmission. Each
student is solely responsible for completing all of these requirements.

Each candidate for graduation must complete the following requirements:

Either (a) thirty-two course credits, sixty-four quality points, and
two Short Term units; or (b) thirty course credits, sixty quality points,
and three Short Term units. Option (b) is available only for students
who graduate in the three-year program. The following values are used
in the computation of quality points:

GPA Table

A+ = 4.0

B+ = 3.3

C+ = 2.3

D+ = 1.3

F = 0

ON = 0

A = 4.0

B = 3.0

C = 2.0

D = 1.0

F# = 0

W = 0

A- = 3.7

B- = 2.7

C- = 1.7

D- = 0.7

DEF = 0

P = 2

All prescribed work in the major field, including at least eight courses.

In the senior year, satisfactory achievement on a comprehensive examination
in the major field, or a senior thesis, or both, as determined by the
major department or program.

Registration in each regular semester for no fewer than three or no
more than five academic courses.

Enrollment in courses at Bates for the final semester of the senior
year. Senior work in the major field must be completed in residence.

Physical education credits. The physical education requirement may
be satisfied by completing two ten-week physical education activity courses.
Students may also meet the requirement through department-approved participation
in intercollegiate athletics, club sports, and activity courses, or any
combination. This requirement should be completed by the end of the first
be fulfilled in addition to the requirements noted in 1-6 above:
year in residence.

General Education requirements. The following four requirements must

At least three courses or designated units from the curriculum in
biology, chemistry,
geology, or physics and astronomy. Two of the courses or designated
units must be a department-designated set, as listed under "General
Education" in the department's introduction to course offerings
in the Catalog. First-year seminars listed in the introduction to the
department's course offerings may also satisfy the requirement.
A student majoring in one of these departments must fulfill this requirement
by including at least one course or designated unit outside the major
but within one of the departments noted above. This course or unit may
be one required by the major department.

At least three courses or designated units from the curriculum in
anthropology, economics,
education, political science, psychology,
or sociology. Two
of the courses or designated units must be a department-designated set,
as listed under "General Education" in the department's
introduction to course offerings in the Catalog. First-year seminars listed
in the introduction to the department's course offerings may also
satisfy the requirement. A student majoring in one of these departments
must fulfill this requirement by including at least one course or designated
unit outside the major but within one of the departments noted above.
This course or unit may be one required by the major department.

At least one course or unit in which the understanding and use of quantitative
techniques are essential to satisfactory performance. First-year seminars
listed in the introduction to a department's course offerings may
satisfy the requirement. Designations of these courses and units are made
by the departments and cited in the Catalog. Courses and units designated
as satisfying requirements in the natural sciences and in the social sciences-see
(a) and (b) above-also may be designated to satisfy this requirement.

Courses and units cross-listed in two or more departments or programs
may be used to fulfill General Education requirements if they are cross-listed
with an appropriate department. In some cases the course or unit may fulfill
more than one requirement, if it is cross-listed in more than one academic
division.

Bachelor of science requirements. In addition, candidates for the bachelor
of science degree must complete Chemistry
107 and 108 (A
or B), Mathematics 105 and
106, and Physics
107 or First-Year Seminar
314 and Physics 108
or First-Year Seminar 274.
Students with Advanced Placement credit, International
Baccalaureate credit, A-Level credit, or approved transfer credit may
fulfill the requirement for one or more of these courses. If students
receive credit for one course, they are required to take the other course
in the set. In chemistry, if they receive credit for both courses in the
set, they are required to take another course or unit approved by the
department.

Liberal Arts-Engineering Dual Degree Plan. After
three or four years (depending on the engineering program) of full-time
study at Bates, qualified students may enroll in a two-year engineering
program at Columbia University, Dartmouth College, Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute, Case Western Reserve University, or Washington University in
St. Louis. Upon completion of this five- or six-year program, students
receive both an undergraduate degree in engineering from Bates College
and a bachelor of science from the engineering school affiliate.
Students who wish to pursue this line of study should consult with the
faculty advisor for the Dual Degree Plan within the first two weeks of
their undergraduate careers.

There are three levels of general honors, based upon cumulative grade
point average: cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude.

General honors are calculated as follows: By the start of each academic
year, the registrar computes the minimum cumulative grade point average
necessary to rank students in the top 2 percent, 8 percent, and 15 percent
of the combined last three graduating classes. In
2005-2006, students with GPAs of 3.89 or higher earn the distinction
of summa cum laude; GPAs of 3.76 to 3.88, magna cum laude; and GPAs
of 3.67 to 3.75, cum laude.

Satisfactory
Academic Progress

Federal law requires the College to establish standards of satisfactory
progress toward the degree and to monitor each recipient of federal
aid to insure that he or she is making satisfactory progress according
to those standards. The concept of satisfactory progress mandates the
monitoring of both grade point average (GPA)-qualitative progress-and
the number of credits completed-quantitative progress. The Committee
on Academic Standing is responsible for evaluation of the student's
progress, reviews the student's academic standing each semester, and
evaluates petitions for exceptions to these standards. In addition,
the deans of students may authorize exceptions for serious illnesses
or personal emergencies. The College has established these standards:

Qualitative Standards. Student academic standing
is based on the schedule below. All Bates course grades are included
in a student's GPA; however, for the purposes of determining academic
standing (good standing, probation, dismissal), first-year grades may
be omitted from the computation if that omission benefits the student.

The Office of the Dean of Students informs students of changes in their
academic standing according to the following schedule:

First-year students

First semester

If the GPA is less than 0.75: dismissal

If the GPA is greater than or equal to 0.75 but less than
1.5: probation

If the GPA is greater than or equal to 1.5: good academic
standing

Second semester, for students in good academic standing

If the semester GPA is less than 0.75: dismissal

If the semester GPA is greater than or equal to 0.75 but
less than 1.5: probation

If the cumulative GPA is greater than or equal to 1.5: good
academic standing

Second semester, for students on academic probation

If the semester GPA is less than 1.5: dismissal

If the cumulative GPA is less than 1.75 but the semester
GPA is greater than or equal to 1.5: probation

If the cumulative GPA is greater than or equal to 1.75:
good academic standing

Sophomores, juniors, first-semester seniors

For purposes of determining academic standing internally only,
the computation of the cumulative GPA for upperclass students
omits first-year grades if, and only if, this is advantageous
to the student.

For students in good academic standing

If the semester GPA is less than 1.0: dismissal

If the cumulative GPA is less than 2.0: probation

If the cumulative GPA is equal to or greater than 2.0: good
academic standing

For students on academic probation

If the cumulative and semester GPA are less than 2.0: dismissal

If the cumulative GPA is less than 2.0 but the semester
GPA is greater than or equal to 2.0: probation

If the cumulative GPA is greater than or equal to 2.0: good
academic standing

Second-semester seniors: Students graduate if the normal degree
requirements, including courses, Short Term units, and total grade
point averages, are met. This applies to students on academic probation
from the prior semester, even if they do not fulfill the normal probationary
requirements for good academic standing in the second senior semester.

Changes in academic standing are reported to students and academic advisors,
and a statistical summary, excluding students' names, is reported to the
faculty each semester. Parents are informed when students are on probation
or are dismissed. Students may appeal changes in academic standing to
the Academic Standing Committee after consulting with the dean of students.

Quantitative Standards. A student's progress toward
the baccalaureate degree is measured by course credits and unit credits.
Students usually follow a four-year track; however, some students complete
the academic program in three years (see page
18).

Normally, students in the four-year program successfully complete
eight courses by the end of their first year, sixteen courses by the
end of their second year, twenty-four courses and one Short Term unit
by the end of their third year, and thirty-two courses and two Short
Term units by the end of their fourth year.

To comply with the satisfactory-progress policy, each candidate in
the four-year program must successfully complete the following minimum
numbers of course and unit credits: no fewer than six courses by the
end of the first year; no fewer than twelve courses by the end of the
second year; no fewer than twenty courses and one Short Term unit by
the end of the third year; and thirty-two courses and two Short Term
units by the end of the fourth year.

Normally, students in the three-year program successfully complete
ten courses and one Short Term unit by the end of the first year, twenty
courses and two Short Term units by the end of the second year, and
thirty courses and three Short Term units by the end of the third year.

To comply with the satisfactory-progress policy, each candidate in
the three-year program must successfully complete the following minimum
numbers of course and unit credits: no fewer than eight courses and
one Short Term unit by the end of the first year; no fewer than eighteen
courses and two Short Term units by the end of the second year; and
no fewer than thirty courses and three Short Term units by the end of
the third year.

Maximum Time Frame. All students are expected to
complete the degree in eight semesters; students are eligible to continue
enrollment and receive financial aid for eight full-time semesters.
Any student not meeting the standards of satisfactory progress is ineligible
to return to Bates or receive federal student aid. The director of student
financial services notifies students if they have not met the satisfactory
progress standards. Students are considered withdrawn until satisfactory
progress is reestablished.

Reestablishing Eligibility. Written notice is given
to students whose status makes them ineligible to return for the next
semester, or whose financial aid eligibility is rescinded for lack of
academic progress. If denied aid or permission to return because of
failure to meet the satisfactory-progress policy standards, students
may reestablish eligibility for federal aid by subsequently meeting
the standards. The Committee on Academic Standing may also readmit to
the College students who petition the committee for readmission when
there are exceptional or extenuating circumstances. A student who has
reestablished eligibility may be considered for aid for upcoming periods
but not for periods during which standards were not met. The Office
of the Dean of Students, the academic advisor, and the registrar can
consult with students seeking to rectify deficiencies in grades or earned
credits.

Appeals for Financial Aid. A student who is ineligible
for financial aid due to lack of satisfactory progress or exceeding
the eight-semester time limit, and who believes that exceptional or
extenuating circumstances caused this ineligibility, may request a review
by the director of student financial services and the dean of admissions.

Additional Information. Students who fail to make
satisfactory academic progress do not receive the following types of
financial aid: federal Pell Grant; federal Supplemental Educational
Opportunity Grant; Federal College Work-Study; federal Perkins Loan;
federal Stafford Loan; federal PLUS Loan; or Bates College scholarships,
grants, loans, or employment. Students on probationary status are still
eligible to receive financial aid; students dismissed are ineligible.
Students who reduce their course load are required to repay the appropriate
financial assistance. Students participating in the Federal College
Work-Study Program are subject to termination of employment. The grades
of F and DEF are not considered as successful completion of a course
or unit. A student who is suspended for unsatisfactory scholarship,
or for disciplinary or financial reasons, is denied permission to continue
to attend classes, to enroll in subsequent terms, to reside in college
housing, to receive Bates-funded financial aid, and to participate in
Bates-sponsored extracurricular activities or use facilities in ways
that are not also open to the general public.

Reinstatement after Withdrawal or Dismissal

A student in good academic standing who withdraws from the College
may be reinstated at the discretion of the dean of students or an associate
dean of students, if the reinstatement is within two years of the withdrawal
and there are no outstanding financial obligations to the College. In
no cases are students readmitted when they have outstanding financial
obligations to the College or are past due in federal student loan repayments.
A student in good standing who has withdrawn for more than two years,
a student not in good standing, or a student who has been dismissed
from the College must apply for readmission to the Committee on Academic
Standing through the dean of students. Students not in good standing
or dismissed must be separated from the College for at least one full
semester, and must provide evidence of serious purpose and of academic
or professional involvement. Candidates for readmission for the fall
semester must submit their credentials by 1 May. Those seeking readmission
for the winter semester must submit their credentials by 15 November.

Connected Learning Opportunities

Learning in the liberal arts has historically been characterized by
making connections across ideas and disciplines, usually within the
confines of a traditional curriculum. Bates challenges students to consider
the courses they take as part of a larger intellectual experience, but
also to expand the connections they make in their learning to include-in
addition to regular course offerings-the unique opportunities for discovery
found in off-campus study, undergraduate research, service-learning,
internships, undergraduate fellowships, volunteer experiences, employment
during the summer or the academic year, and extracurricular activities.
By engaging in these activities and understanding how they contribute
to both attaining knowledge and cultivating the habits of mind that
are the fruits of a liberal arts education, students can strengthen
their academic experiences and prepare themselves well for a lifetime
of learning and involvement. A number of programs, curricular and cocurricular,
afford opportunities to make learning connections, and students are
encouraged to participate in them.

Off-Campus Study Programs

The College sponsors a variety of off-campus study programs through
which students can earn either Bates credit or approved program credit.
The programs are administered by the Off-Campus Study Office and are
overseen by the Committee on Off-Campus Study according to policies
set by the faculty. To be eligible, a student must have a 2.5 cumulative
GPA at the time of application. A student may become ineligible if the
GPA drops below 2.5 at any point in the application process or after
admission to her or his program. Registration as a four-year student,
including residence at Bates during the sophomore year, is required.
The student must also consult with and obtain the approval of the chair
of the major department. In addition, the Committee on Off-Campus Study
considers the student's personal maturity and character, as well as
capacity for independent work, in determining eligibility. Further information
about off-campus study opportunities appears on the Off-Campus Study
Office Web site (www.bates.edu/offcampus/).

Students planning to study off campus for
a semester or a full year must register for off-campus study by the
first Friday in February of the preceding year. The number of
students who may study off campus just during a winter semester is limited
to 25 percent of the junior class. For students who plan to study outside
the United States, half of the winter semester spaces are allocated
at random in the registration process. Students not randomly selected,
and all students who wish to study elsewhere in the United States, may
petition the Committee on Off-Campus Study for one of the remaining
spaces. The committee bases its selection on four criteria: (1) whether
the off-campus study opportunity is available only during the winter
semester; (2) whether it provides unique academic benefits such as advanced
language study in context; (3) whether it provides special advantages
for the major that are not available in comparable courses at Bates;
and (4) whether it provides in-depth exposure to a distinctly different
cultural and socioeconomic setting. There is no enrollment limit on
study abroad for the fall semester or full year; however, the student
must register for Off-Campus Study and meet the other requirements as
outlined above.

Students participating in a Bates Fall Semester Abroad program pay
the regular comprehensive fee. Participants in other programs pay the
Off-Campus Study Registration Fee, which is 5 percent of the on-campus
comprehensive fee for each semester of study. For
2005-2006, the Off-Campus Study Registration Fee is $1,050 per semester.
All other costs are calculated by the foreign program and are the responsibility
of the individual student. However, federal, state, and Bates financial
aid is available subject to the student's financial need based on
the program expenses and the policies outlined on page
50. Additional information and applications for off-campus study
programs are available through the Off-Campus Study Office.

With the exception of summer courses, matriculated students who wish
to receive credit for study outside the United States and for affiliated
domestic programs must have the pre-approval of the Committee
on Off-Campus Study. They must study in a faculty-approved program,
and complete their studies in accordance with the committee's guidelines.
The Committee on Off-Campus Study is responsible for the awarding of
approved program credit except for the Bates Fall Semester Abroad and
the CBB Off-Campus Study programs. Individual departments and programs
decide whether approved program credits and transfer credits that have
been accepted by the College may also be applied toward General Education
requirements or the major requirements.

Bates students may enhance their study-abroad experience with grants
provided by the Barlow Endowment for Study Abroad. This endowment provides
fellowships, grants for enrichment activities during or after the program,
and grants for thesis research related to an individual's study-abroad
experience. More information on the endowment is available though the
Off-Campus Study Office and on line (www.bates.edu/offcampus/).

The Bates Fall Semester Abroad Program. The College
sponsors one or more fall semester abroad programs under the direction
of faculty members. In 2004, programs took place in Germany and Japan.
In 2005, a program takes place in Russia. In 2006, programs are planned
for Austria and China. The objectives of this program include combining
academic work with a cross-cultural learning experience and providing
students with opportunities for intensive foreign-language study. Four
course credits are awarded for successful completion of the program,
which includes four required courses: two intensive language courses
and two seminars in topics relevant to understanding the host country.
Grades are included on the Bates transcript and in the student's grade
point average. The comprehensive fee includes all program costs, including
international airfare. This program is open to all students with preference
to new matriculants. Additional information is available from the offices
of Admissions and Off-Campus Study. The program
and course descriptions for the 2005
Bates Fall Semester Abroad Program may be found in the online Catalog
under courses and units of instruction.

Colby-Bates-Bowdoin (CBB) Off-Campus Study Consortium. For
several years, Bates collaborated with Colby and Bowdoin colleges to
sponsor semester-long study-abroad programs for juniors in Ecuador,
South Africa, and the United Kingdom. The CBB Off-Campus Study programs
concluded at the end of the 2004-2005 academic year.

Junior Year Programs. To provide additional opportunities
for academic study, research, and cultural experiences not readily available
on campus, the College supports study by qualified students in universities
and select academic programs outside the United States during one or
two semesters in the junior year. Bates has found that the variety of
academic disciplines, the different methods of study, and the experience
of living in a foreign culture often enhance a student's academic career.

Under the Junior Year Abroad and Junior Semester Abroad programs,
students have studied in more than seventy countries. In non-English-speaking
countries, students participate in a wide range of American college
and university programs selected for their academic quality, their emphasis
on full immersion experiences, and their association with foreign universities.
Students study throughout Europe and Russia; in China, Japan, and other
Asian countries; in Israel, Egypt, and other Middle Eastern and African
countries; and from Mexico to Chile in the Americas. In English-speaking
countries, students enroll directly at select host-country universities,
experiencing the academic and social life of their students. In recent
years, these universities have included Bristol, Edinburgh, the London
School of Economics, Kings, Oxford, and University College London in
Great Britain; Trinity and the National Universities of Ireland in Cork,
Dublin, and Galway; the universities of Adelaide, Melbourne, and New
South Wales in Australia; and the universities of Auckland and Otago
in New Zealand.

Language skills greatly contribute to the academic and social experience
in non-English-speaking settings. Therefore, students are required to
have completed the equivalent of at least two years of college-level
language study prior to study abroad in French-, German-, or Spanish-language
settings. In Chinese-, Japanese-, and Russian-language settings, the
equivalent of at least one year of college-level study is required.
Prior language study is not required elsewhere, but students must include
language study, ancient or modern, as part of their course work. When
appropriate, a student may petition the Committee on Off-Campus Study
for an exception to these policies. Admission to a particular university
depends entirely upon that institution's decision regarding the individual
applicant.

Washington Semester Program. This opportunity administered
by American University provides a number of thematic programs coupled
with internships. Residence in the District of Columbia for a semester
enables students to study and research firsthand the policies and processes
of the federal government, nongovernmental organizations, and the private
sector in Washington.

Maritime Studies. Bates belongs to a group of colleges
affiliated with the Williams College-Mystic Seaport Program in American
Maritime Studies. In addition to taking courses in American maritime
history, marine ecology, maritime literature, marine policy, and oceanography,
students are introduced to navigational and shipbuilding skills. During
the semester they also spend approximately two weeks at sea, sailing
and conducting research.

Associated Kyoto Program. Bates is one of sixteen
colleges and universities that sponsor a yearlong program in Japan in
association with Doshisha University. The program provides intensive
Japanese-language and related courses and the opportunity to live with
a Japanese family. The program is held in Kyoto, an exceptional cultural
setting as the historic capital of Japan as well as a modern city of
more than one million inhabitants.

Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome. Bates
is a member of ICCS, the leading consortium for classical studies at
American and Canadian colleges and universities. ICCS has a center in
Rome, where classics majors and other qualified students may study for
a semester.

India. Bates belongs to the South India Term Abroad
(SITA) Consortium. This program provides an opportunity during the fall
semester for students to study an Indian language, history, culture,
and related topics in Tamil Nadu. The curriculum, taught by Indian faculty
as well as faculty of the consortium colleges, is designed to ensure
broad exposure to South Asian life and culture.

Sri Lanka. Bates and other institutions sponsor the
Intercollegiate Sri Lanka Education (ISLE) Program for study in Sri
Lanka. The program, offered during the fall semester, gives qualified
students the opportunity for immersion in Sri Lankan culture under the
guidance of a faculty member from a sponsoring college.

Exchange Programs with Other U.S. Colleges. Semester
exchange programs with Morehouse and Spelman colleges provide Bates
students the opportunity to study at a leading historically black men's
college or a leading historically black women's college, respectively.
Students may also study for one semester or a year at Washington and
Lee University.

Research Semester Programs. The College encourages
qualified upperclass students to take part in special semester-long
research programs offered off campus by other educational and research
institutions, and for which Bates credit may be earned. Faculty of the
department closely associated with the research area are familiar with
these opportunities, and students should apply to these programs through
the department chairs. Biological research semester programs are available
at the Bigelow Laboratory for Oceanographic Studies in Boothbay Harbor,
Maine; the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine; Memorial Sloan-Kettering
Cancer Center in New York City; and other nationally recognized research
laboratories in the natural sciences.

Academic Leave and Transfer Credit for Matriculated Students.
Some students expand their Bates experience by attending other U.S.
institutions, from which they may receive transfer credit according
to College policy (see below). Students who take three or more courses
elsewhere in the United States during a semester are considered to be
taking an academic leave. Students who wish to take an academic leave
must inform the College by registering for off-campus study no later
than the first Wednesday in March of the preceding year. The number
of students who may study off campus during the winter semester is limited,
with most spaces reserved for individuals who plan to study in one of
the College's programs outside the United States. Students who wish
to transfer credits from within the United States during the winter
semester may petition the Committee on Off-Campus Study for one of the
remaining spaces. Students on a personal leave and students taking summer
courses may take up to two courses without participating in Off-Campus
Study Registration.

Students who take academic leaves to pursue study elsewhere usually
take courses at state universities and private colleges, but courses
from more specialized programs, such as the Semester in Environmental
Sciences at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Massachusetts and the
New York Studio School, may also be transferred.

Transfer Credit Policy.
Three types of credit can be applied toward a Bates degree: a) Bates
credit, earned from courses taught and/or evaluated and graded
by Bates faculty; b) approved program credit, earned from courses
taken while participating in a Bates-approved program administered by
the Committee on Off-Campus Study; and c) non-Bates credit,
earned at an institution of higher education other than Bates that meets
the established standards for transfer to Bates or credit awarded from
a standardized test such as the Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate,
or A-Level examination. Only grades awarded by Bates faculty are computed
in the student's grade point average.

Degree candidates matriculating as first-year students, either
in the fall or winter semester, must earn at least twenty-four Bates
course credits or approved program credits. Transfer students
must earn a minimum of sixteen Bates credits. They may transfer a maximum
of two non-Bates course credits earned after matriculating at Bates.
A transfer student is defined as any student who has previously matriculated
as a degree candidate at another institution and has earned or is earning
credit.

The registrar and the department or program chair are responsible
for the overall evaluation of non-Bates credit, subject to established
guidelines. The Committee on Academic Standing may grant exceptions
to the established guidelines. All non-Bates course credits awarded
are equivalent to one Bates course credit and two quality points toward
the graduation requirement of thirty-two course credits and sixty-four
quality points.

Non-Bates credit is evaluated based on specific requirements. Credit
must be awarded from an official college or university transcript, from
an official Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate test score
report, or from an official document considered equivalent to a transcript
by the registrar. Courses must be appropriate to a liberal arts and
sciences college, comparable in quality to those offered at Bates, and
students must achieve a grade of C or better. Courses taken in a college's
or university's continuing-education or extension program must be applicable
toward the bachelor of arts or the bachelor of science degree being
pursued by full-time undergraduate students at that institution. College
courses taken prior to secondary-school graduation must have been taught
on a college or university campus and graded in competition with college
students. Credit must be earned at a four-year, regionally accredited
institution; however, courses earned in an accredited community or junior
college or any nontraditional setting may be transferable with approval
of the department or program and the Committee on Academic
Standing; matriculated Bates students must obtain these approvals prior
to enrolling in the course(s). Courses must be worth at least three
semester hours or five quarter-hours or meet a minimum of thirty-six
class-meeting hours to be eligible for transfer. When appropriate, quarter-hours
may be added together and multiplied by two-thirds to determine the
equivalent total number of semester hours to be used toward unspecified
transfer credits. Students may receive credit for a maximum of two courses
taken during summer sessions. All credits must be transferred by the
beginning of the final semester of the senior year. Credit for Short
Term units may not be transferred from another institution. Students
must be enrolled at Bates for the final semester of their senior year.

A student who fails to graduate by the anticipated degree date may
transfer credits necessary to graduate for up to two years afterwards.
After two years, the student is withdrawn automatically from the College,
but may petition the Committee on Academic Standing for permission to
complete the degree.

Personal Leave. In unusual
circumstances, students may need to interrupt their study at the College
for health or personal reasons. In addition, students may take a personal
leave of absence to pursue an internship or other non-academic experience.
Accordingly, the College permits students in good standing to apply
to the dean of students or an associate dean of students for a personal
leave of absence. A leave-of-absence form must be completed by the student.
Students must also meet with representatives from the Office of the
Registrar and Student Financial Services. Students are advised that
some education loan repayments may begin if a student goes on a personal
leave. Students on a personal leave may take up to two courses elsewhere
in the United States for Bates credit, subject to the transfer policies
outlined above. The College guarantees reinstatement to the student
at the end of the specified leave period, provided a registration deposit
is made by 1 August for the first semester and 1 December for the second
semester.

College Venture Program.
Bates, in cooperation with Brown, Holy Cross, Swarthmore, Vassar, and
Wesleyan, offers a noncredit internship placement service for students
who choose to interrupt their undergraduate education with a personal
leave of absence. Students who elect not to attend during Short Term
may also use this program to secure employment from mid-April to September.
A limited number of half-year or full-year placements are available
for recent graduates. Students may use this service and the other internship
opportunities available through the Office of Career Services to explore
career interests.

Student Research

A distinctive feature of the Bates curriculum is its emphasis on individual
research. In their first year, students may participate in a first-year
seminar, a small class in which the development of critical thinking,
concise writing, and other research skills is emphasized. Methodology
courses and advanced seminars offer further research training in a specific
discipline. Many students undertake independent study courses and units
in order to explore in depth a subject of particular interest. Qualified
students may participate in a semester-long program at a research institution,
earning Bates credit (see page 32). Each summer, many students undertake
research independently or in collaboration with a Bates faculty member.
All of these research and writing experiences prepare students for the
senior thesis, required in most departments and programs, and for the
Honors Program.

Support
for Research during the Academic Year. The College encourages
students to pursue research associated with regular courses and Short
Term units, independent studies, and the senior thesis. Funds are available
through competitive grant programs that provide financial assistance
for student research, including the acquisition of books, data sets,
musical scores, supplies and equipment, and travel to research facilities
and scholarly conferences. Information and applications are available
in the Office of the Dean of the Faculty or on the student research
Web site (www.bates.edu/dof/support-for-students/student-research/).

Summer Research
Opportunities. Bates faculty members are active in scholarly
research and offer qualified students the opportunity to work with them
as research assistants during the summer. These opportunities offer
stipends rather than academic credit and are available directly from
faculty researchers funded through faculty grants or through the Office
of the Dean of the Faculty, which manages a number of student summer
research grant programs. Students are encouraged to explore off-campus
summer research opportunities as well. Funding is available to conduct
off-campus fieldwork and to support the work of a student at another
research facility. Information on summer research opportunities is available
on the student research Web site (www.bates.edu/dof/support-for-students/student-research/).

Service-Learning

At the core of the College's founding mission is the notion that liberal
learning, personal growth, and moral development are enhanced through
service to others. Service-learning projects not only contribute to
a student's academic experience at college-particularly through the
reflection and discussion that are necessary components of each project-but
also enhance community life through the tangible contributions they
make to others. Through service-learning projects conducted in the context
of academic courses, during Short Term, or during the summer, students,
faculty, and staff learn about themselves, those with whom they work,
and the dynamics of the world in which they live. More than half the
student body takes part in service-learning projects during their college
years, and many faculty members link service-learning to course curricula.

Integrating community-based learning into the curriculum has been
the goal of the Service-Learning Program since its establishment in
1995. Part of the Harward Center for Community Partnerships, the service-learning program is a clearinghouse for faculty, staff, and students
interested in pursuing service-learning or community-based research
projects, and for community organizations, schools, and government agencies.
The program sponsors service-learning efforts in areas as diverse as
basic social services; education; literacy programs; municipal government;
environmental education and advocacy; health and mental health services;
public art, music, dance, and other cultural projects; and legal advocacy.
The program oversees a number of grant programs, including the Arthur
Crafts Service Awards for students pursuing service-learning projects
during the academic year; Vincent Mulford Service Internship and Research
Fund grants for service-learning projects during the summer; and Community
Work-Study Fellowships, providing service-learning opportunities for
eligible students in community agencies during the academic year and
the summer. The program also coordinates volunteer opportunities in the
Lewiston-Auburn community.

Undergraduate Fellowships

The College supports two special undergraduate fellowship programs
designed for highly motivated students who wish to synthesize their
academic and life experiences in a unique fellowship of their own design.
Fellowships usually take place during the summer, though some occur
during the Short Term or during a semester's leave. Fellowships may
focus on research, service-learning, career exploration, social activism,
or some combination; they always involve a dimension of challenge, personal
growth, and transformation.

Otis Fellowships support students whose interests and projects involve
the relationship of individuals and societies to the natural world.
Otis Fellowships have taken students to the national parks and Native
American reservations of the American West; the fishing villages of
the Canadian Maritimes; indigenous communities in Bolivia, Lesotho,
Mexico, and the Arctic; monasteries and farms in Ireland; the high Andes
of Peru; the national parks of South Africa; the lakes of Siberia; and
the steppes of Mongolia. Information on Otis Fellowships can be found
on the student research Web site (www.bates.edu/dof/support-for-students/student-research/summer-grants-summary/otis/).

Phillips Students Fellowships provide qualified students with an opportunity
to conduct a project of their own design in an international or cross-cultural
setting. Recent Phillips Fellows have studied Buddhism in Thailand,
traditional dress in Nigeria, drumming in Ghana, and folk music and
dance in France and the Canadian Maritimes. They have examined education
in Kenya, African-American intermarriage in the Seminole community,
the life stories of Jews who immigrated to Mexico during World War II,
the prospects for an African economic union in Ethiopia, women's empowerment
in South Africa, and the relationship of art and politics in Cuba and
France. Information on Phillips Fellowships can be found on the student
research Web site (www.bates.edu/dof/support-for-students/student-research/summer-grants-summary/phillips-student-fellowships/).

Office of Career Services

The principal charge of the Office of Career Services (OCS) is to
help students become aware of their interests, skills, and values, and
how these relate to the career possibilities available after graduation.
The OCS complements academic advising efforts by providing integrated
career services that include career counseling, computerized career-interest
testing, a library of career information, employment listings, access
to thousands of alumni career advisors, a confidential Web-accessible
reference service, interviews with prospective employers, contact with
representatives from graduate and professional schools, and links to
job and career information through the OCS home page (www.bates.edu/career/).
Although the Office of Career Services does not function as a job or
internship placement agency, students are encouraged to use the OCS
beginning in their first year at Bates in order to integrate their academic,
career, and personal goals into a professional focus.

The Writing Workshop

The College values students' ability to think critically and write
clear, vigorous prose. The Writing Workshop helps students assess their
needs and hone their writing skills through hour-long tutorials with
members of its staff of professional writers. The Writing Workshop is
open to any Bates student. Assistance is available for all academic
writing, including scientific papers, senior theses, and honors theses.
Students may use the workshop to learn to analyze assignments, generate
and organize ideas, revise drafts, and polish their writing (www.bates.edu/learning-commons).

The Mathematics
and Statistics Workshop

Dedicated to encouraging quantitative literacy and reasoning, the
Mathematics and Statistics Workshop offers a variety of tutoring and
help sessions to students seeking assistance with mathematical reasoning
and comprehension. Two-hour calculus study sessions are conducted by
student tutors each weeknight throughout the fall and winter semesters,
and one-on-one assistance is available for students in any course requiring
a command of quantitative or statistical skills.

Information and Library
Services

The Library. The George and
Helen Ladd Library is one of the most central and important facilities
of the College, housing books, periodicals, government publications,
musical scores, maps, microforms, sound and video recordings, access
to online databases, material in other electronic formats, and other
items essential for students and faculty to carry on their research.
The library offers a learning environment conducive to study and research,
and provides easy access to information in a variety of formats. The
Library houses more than 840 study spaces, including individual carrels,
lounge and table seating, workstations, listening stations, and viewing
stations. More than 150 campus network jacks at seats and carrels are
available. A networked computer instruction room and an online reference
area are located on the main floor. Quiet study is encouraged throughout
the building, except in areas designated for group studying.

The central portal for information is the online catalog, accessible
via terminals throughout the library and on the campus network. The
online system is also accessible, as are many electronic resources,
through the library's Web site (www.bates.edu/Library/).
Expert reference librarians offer instructional and reference services,
as well as consultation on an individual basis. The audio and video
collections are housed on the ground floor. The microform area provides
reader-printers for material in those formats, including newspapers
and other periodicals, books, and documents. Current periodicals are
available on the main floor.

In all, the library contains more than 590,000 cataloged volumes in
print, 300,000 pieces of microform, and 30,000 recordings, and it provides
access to thousands of sources of information online. More than 16,000
periodicals are available in electronic form. Ladd Library resources
are augmented by the collections of Bowdoin and Colby colleges, constituting
a combined cataloged collection of nearly two million bibliographic
records. The three college libraries consider these collections as part
of the total material available to their students and encourage faculty,
students, and staff to use the consortium's resources before searching
elsewhere. The Bates identification card allows Bates students, faculty,
and staff to borrow materials from the Bowdoin and Colby libraries.
Through Maine Info Net, Bates users may initiate loan requests for materials
at Bowdoin or Colby, as well as other academic and public libraries
throughout the state.

The College library was founded in 1863 with fewer than 800 volumes,
but possessed more than 20,000 when Coram Library opened in 1901. In
1883 the library was designated the first depository for U.S. government
documents in Maine. It is also a selective depository for documents
of the State of Maine. Ladd Library opened in 1973; renovations since
1996 have included redesigned areas for electronic services, full integration
of electronic resources, improved seating, and additional group study
rooms. The library functions as the primary point of service for Information
and Library Services, with circulation, reference, and Help Desk Services
centrally located.

Archives and Special
Collections. The Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections
Library fosters research and scholarship by encouraging access to Bates
College records and other historical materials by students and faculty,
as well as scholars from the community at large. These collections enable
students from Bates and elsewhere to perform historical research using
primary documentary material. The collections have three major divisions.

The Bates College Archives serves as the official repository of records,
publications, photographs, honors theses, and other materials of permanent
administrative, legal, fiscal, and historical value. It documents the
history of the College from its founding in 1855 to the present.

The Rare Book and Manuscript Collections include publications pertaining
to the Freewill Baptists in Maine and New England; nineteenth-century
French history and literature; fine-press books published in Maine;
Judaica; nineteenth-century books on natural history, particularly ornithology;
and the papers of individuals generally associated with Bates College
or with Freewill Baptists. Among the latter are the letters of Lydia
Coombs, a Freewill Baptist missionary in India, and the papers of J.
S. (Josiah Spooner) Swift, a Freewill Baptist minister and publisher
in Farmington, Maine. The Dorothy Freeman Collection contains a large
body of correspondence with the biologist, writer, and conservationist
Rachel Carson.

The Edmund S. Muskie Collection consists of almost all the extant
records of the life and work of Edmund S. Muskie (1914-1996), a 1936
Bates graduate who dominated Maine politics from the mid-1950s to 1981
and became a national leader for environmental protection, government
reform, and fiscal responsibility. In addition, the Archives and Special
Collections Library holds such related collections as the records of
the Nestlé Infant Formula Audit Commission, the Maine Commission
on Legal Needs, and the gubernatorial papers of James B. Longley. The
library also houses the Edmund S. Muskie Oral History Project, including
collections of taped interviews with individuals who knew Muskie or
who offer insights into the events and conditions that shaped his life
and times.

The College's computer systems continue to expand in response to user
needs. All students are assigned a user ID that affords access to Bates
computers and network services, including the library catalog, network
storage, and electronic mail. The Bates College Web site (www.bates.edu)
provides the Internet community with access to Bates information, links
Bates users with the Internet, and gives students access to on-campus
services, including online registration, access to numerous library
research databases, the College Catalog, Web pages for specific courses,
information from Help Desk Services, campus employment and career services
information, student grant guidelines, and students' personal home pages.
Through the Bates proxy server, many on-campus services and library
databases are available to Bates students and faculty as they work and
study throughout the world. Video conferencing among Bates, Bowdoin,
and Colby colleges, with connections to off-campus locations, is also
available.

Many courses use computing extensively. In economics, for example,
integration of theoretical and empirical work requires computer use
for statistical analysis and modeling. In psychology, data sets are
generated to simulate research studies that students then analyze and
interpret. As a member of the Inter-university Consortium for Political
and Social Research (ICPSR), Bates offers access to a growing number
of social science studies. Data from ICPSR and other economic time-series
databases as well as data collected by faculty and student researchers
are analyzed in statistical packages including SPSS, SAS, and MINITAB.
The Department of Music uses computers to teach composition and to introduce
graphics applications, and music and art students use them to create
multimedia works. Students of foreign languages make extensive use of
the computer laboratory in Hathorn Hall. Currently, more than 100 workstations
are found in laboratory settings in the biology, chemistry, classics,
economics, foreign language, geology, mathematics, music, physics and
astronomy, psychology, and sociology departments. All Bates classrooms
have high-speed network connections; one-third are equipped with workstations,
and digital projection and sound equipment.

Information and Library Services provides many opportunities for students
to enhance computing skills by working in technology-related jobs in
Help Desk Services, Network and Infrastructure Services, Web Services,
or on faculty projects through Academic Technology Services.

The Laboratories

Laboratories and studios for student and faculty use are located throughout
the campus. Chemistry and biochemistry laboratories and instruments
are situated in Dana Chemistry Hall. Biology, environmental studies,
geology, neuroscience, and physics laboratories are housed in Carnegie
Science Hall. Astronomy students and faculty use the Stephens Observatory
with its 0.32-meter reflecting telescope and the Spitz A-3 planetarium
projector, also located in Carnegie. Archeology and psychology laboratories
are housed in Pettengill Hall.

The Department of Romance Languages and Literatures and the Department
of German, Russian, and East Asian Languages and Literatures make extensive
use of the Language Resource Center in Hathorn Hall. This facility offers
a variety of language-specific software to enhance classroom activities,
word processing, and World Wide Web multimedia exploration.Web browsers
are available in Chinese, Japanese, French, Spanish, German, and Russian.
The center is equipped with fifteen computers with AV screens and VHS
players. The instructor's station controls a video projector for classroom
displays.

Resources for the Arts

In Pettigrew Hall, theater, dance, and performance-art students use
the proscenium stage of the Miriam Lavinia Schaeffer Theatre, which
seats more than 300. The Department of Theater and Rhetoric conducts
experimental and studio work in the smaller facilities of the Gannett
Theater. The Marcy Plavin Dance Studios are located in Merrill Gymnasium.

The Olin Arts Center houses art studios for painting, drawing, printmaking,
photography, and ceramics. It provides the Department of Music with
music studios and rehearsal rooms for individuals and groups. An acoustically
exceptional 300-seat concert hall in the building is the site of performances
year-round, ranging from student thesis recitals and weekly Noonday
Concerts by Bates musicians to special appearances by internationally
known musicians.

The Bates College Museum
of Art

Also in the Olin Arts Center is the Bates College Museum of Art. Established
in 1953, the Museum maintains a small but significant permanent collection
of American and European art, including the Marsden Hartley Memorial
Collection, featuring paintings, drawings, personal papers, and memorabilia
of this great early-twentieth-century modernist, a native of Lewiston.
The Museum of Art is an important academic resource, supporting teaching
and learning across the curriculum. It is also a leading arts and cultural
center in the region. In two floors of galleries the museum exhibits
the work of historical and contemporary artists; in addition to diverse
group and solo shows, the museum hosts an annual exhibition of work
by senior art majors. Lectures, tours, studio workshops, internships,
and school programs are offered through the museum's education program.

The Bates-Morse
Mountain Conservation Area and the Bates College Coastal Center at Shortridge

The Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area (BMMCA) Corporation owns
nearly 600 acres of rare undeveloped Maine coastland, managed by the
College for conservation and research. The land lies between two tidal
rivers in Phippsburg, and includes salt marsh, dune habitat, forested
wetlands and uplands, and granite ledge outcrops including a panoramic
overlook from the top of Morse Mountain, 180 feet above sea level.

The College conducts educational programs, scientific research, and
literary study consistent with the conservation of the ecological and
aesthetic values of the property in its natural state and with the protection
of its ecosystems. The principal researchers are Bates College faculty
and students, as well as scientists from other educational and research
institutions. Limited public visitation is permitted as long as it is
conducted in ways consistent with the area's mission and does not interfere
with the area's quiet natural beauty and relative solitude. The area
is open year-round during daylight hours, but domestic animals, vehicles,
and camping are not permitted in any season.

Near the BMMCA, the Bates College Coastal Center at Shortridge includes
a seventy-acre woodland and wetland habitat, a ten-acre freshwater pond,
a study and retreat center, and a field station. The two buildings on
the property provide meeting accommodations, living and study quarters
for student and faculty researchers, and a wet laboratory.

The Shortridge Center is primarily used for academic purposes, particularly
research associated with the Meetinghouse Pond environs and the BMMCA.
The facility provides a base location and support for research activities
of Bates faculty and students. The Center is also used as a meeting
and retreat location for College programs, departments, and agents of
the College, including authorized student organizations and selected
College outreach efforts. The director of the BMMCA and the Coastal
Center at Shortridge oversees uses of the center.

Confidentiality of
Education Records

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
affords students certain rights with respect to their education records.

FERPA affords the right to inspect and review the student's education
records within forty-five days of the day the College receives a request
for access. Students should submit to the registrar, dean of students,
chair of the academic department or program, or other appropriate
official written requests that identify the records they wish to inspect.
The College official makes arrangements for access and notifies the
student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.
If the records are not maintained by the College official to whom
the request is submitted, the official advises the student of the
correct official to whom the request should be addressed.

FERPA affords the right to request the amendment of the student's
education records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading.
A student may ask the College to amend a record that he or she believes
is inaccurate or misleading. The student should write the College
official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of
the record he or she wants changed, and specify why it is inaccurate
or misleading. If the College decides not to amend the record as requested
by the student, the College notifies the student of the decision and
advises the student of his or her right to a hearing regarding the
request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing
procedures is provided to the student when notified of the right to
a hearing.

FERPA affords the right to consent to disclosures of personally
identifiable information contained in the student's education records,
except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
One exception that permits disclosure without consent is disclosure
to College officials, or officials of institutions with which the
College has consortial agreements, with legitimate educational interests.
A College official is a person employed by Bates in an administrative,
supervisory, academic, or support-staff position (including Security
and Health Center staff); a person or company with whom the College
has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent);
a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on
an official committee, such as the Committee on Student Conduct, or
assisting another College official in performing his or her tasks.
A College official has a legitimate educational interest if the official
needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her
professional responsibility.

FERPA affords the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department
of Education concerning alleged failures by the College to comply
with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office
that administers FERPA is Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20202-5901.

Bates College reserves the right to refuse to permit a student to
inspect those records excluded from the FERPA definition of education
records and to deny transcripts or copies of records not required to
be made available by FERPA if the student has an unpaid financial obligation
to the College or if there is an unresolved disciplinary action against
him or her. Fees are not assessed for search and retrieval of the records,
but there may be a charge for copying and postage.

The Office of the Registrar and Student Financial Services makes available
copies of the federal regulations and the institutional policy on educational
records as well as additional information about the Family Educational
Rights and Privacy Act of 1974.

Directory Information.Bates
identifies the following as directory information: name; Bates identification
(ID) number; class; address (campus, home, and e-mail); telephone listings;
major and secondary-concentration fields of study; participation in
officially recognized sports, extracurricular activities, and off-campus
study programs; dates of attendance; degrees, honors, and awards received
from the College; and individually identifiable photographs and electronic
images of the student solicited or maintained directly by Bates as part
of the educational record.